A combination of mystery thriller and time travel, this book was quite enjoyable. The main character, Mallory was a police officer who was pulled into Victorian Scotland through some type of hole in time. She wakes up and is in the body of a different woman in that time period.

The author does.a nice job of character development. She gives you just enough information to help you understand how the characters would think and react to things. In addition, the jump from modern day to Victorian era Scotland is fun. Mallory was fascinated with the police investigations of that time and in finding out which forensic sciences were being developed and which weren't as of yet.

The storyline follows Mallory in her quest to get back to her own time. However along the way, she grows to care about Dr. Grey and his sister and can't imagine leaving them either. Even though the main mystery is solved in this book, there is much more that can be done with the series. One thing I hope there's a smidge more of going forward is romance. There was just a hint of it in this book. I'm hoping that is the setup needed for a relationship going forward.

I look forward to future books in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

An interesting read, it read like a police procedural on TV, which I don't mind. I liked the setting of a Victorian age Scotland and the showcasing of scientific advances as it relates to solving crime. The societal attitudes and expectations were also interesting, and it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The characters were written well and I appreciated the irony of the differences in Katerina's and Mallory's personalities. There were some predictable plot devices used which made some aspects of the story less interesting as I wished it had gone in a different direction, but overall I liked the book.

4.25 stars—A RIP THROUGH TIME is the first instalment in Kelley Armstrong’s adult A RIP THROUGH TIME time travel, mystery series focusing on thirty year old, Vancouver, Canada Police Detective Mallory Atkinson, and undertaker/investigator Dr. Duncan Gray.


Told from first person perspective (Mallory) A RIP THROUGH TIME follows Detective Mallory Atkinson on a journey through time. In the spring of 2019 while visiting her ailing grandmother in Edinburgh Scotland, thirty year old, Vancouver British Columbia, Canada police detective Mallory Atkinson is attacked in an alley only to wake up as a nineteen year old housemaid in the year 1869, a housemaid who was also attacked and left for dead in the same alley where Mallory was found. Not only has our heroine time travelled back one-hundred and fifty years but she is no longer physically the same woman she was just minutes before. Working as a housemaid for Dr. Duncan Gray and his sister Isla, realizing life as she knew it was no longer under her control, Mallory must assume the position of nineteen year old Catriona Mitchell, a young woman whose history is questionable and dark. A serial killer has set his sights on Edinburgh Scotland, and ‘Catriona/Mallory’ has been targeted for sins of the past but more importantly, targeted for sins of the future. As the investigation begins to unfold, Catriona’s knowledge of investigative procedures stirs the interest of Isla and Duncan, an interest such that Mallory is going to have to explain the circumstances surrounding Catriona’s new insights and change in personality.


We are introduced to Dr. Gray’s sister Isla, their housekeeper Mrs. Wallace, stable hand Simon, housemaid Alice, as well as Inspector Hugh McCreadie and Constable Findlay.



A RIP THROUGH TIME is a fascinating story of mystery and suspense with a little bit of paranormal, time travel added to the mix. Having worked most of her adult life in the Vancouver police department, Mallory aka Catriona is the perfect foil for Dr. Gray, an undertaker and amateur investigator, who with the help of our heroine, begins to break down the clues and mystery surrounding a potential serial killer. The premise is intriguing and captivating; the characters are dynamic; the romance is virtually non-existent. My only complaint, is the easy and immediate acceptance, by the main characters, of time-travel and physical possession of some one else’s body.


Copy supplied by Netgalley


THE READING CAFE: http://www.thereadingcafe.com/a-rip-through-time-by-kelley-armstrong-review-and-giveaway/



GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4452256604



AMAZON COM: https://www.amazon.com/review/R2URP369WA6DGK/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B09CNFSLFG



BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/853664867



B&N (Sandy_thereadingcafe)posted


iBooks (Sandy Sch) posted


GOOGLE PLAY (Sandy Sch) posted

A Rip Through Time is a time travel mystery & thriller that from almost the first pages I found myself completely sucked into and couldn't put down. I tend towards mysteries with a stronger romantic element in them, but this story was so good and captivating that I didn't mind that there really wasn't much of one here to be found. The story opens when Mallory, visiting Edinburgh to be by her nana's side during her last hours, is almost strangled in an alley while out on a run one evening and next finds herself waking in the body of a young woman 150 years before. Thus begins this story as Mallory, in the body of the young Catriona, must work to unravel who she is in this time period, how she got here, and how to get back home.

This is the first in a new series, and in many ways can be read as a standalone. There are two mysteries taking place to unravel - what happened to Catriona in her time, and getting Mallory back to her original time. One of these is solved within this book, but the other is not which is what I'm sure leads to future books. It's been a while since I've read any time travel books, but I absolutely loved the way it was handled here by Kelley Armstrong. You get attention to details that are usually ignored and it made for some compelling and riveting reading. I can't wait now for the next in the series!

A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong 3.5 stars

This is a new series by Kelley Armstrong that does time travel in a different way.

Canadian homicide detective, Mallory Atkinson is in Scotland to be with her dying grandmother. While jogging she hears a cry for help and gets attacked in an alley. Unfortunately she wakes up in the body of Catriona Mitchell, who is a domestic for an undertaker. The circumstances get even stranger when she realizes she is in time of Queen Victoria. How did she get to Victorian Scotland and how can she get back to her 2019 future is the problem to be solved.

Since this is the first book in a series, there is a lot of world building to be established. The recurring characters have to be introduced and fleshed out. As a historical mystery with a twist, this was an interesting read, but not a riveting one. Because I want a few more answers about the time travel aspect, I look forward to the next book in this series.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press/Minotaur Books for this ARC.

Mallory Atkinson, Detective for the Vancouver Police Department, is in Edinburgh Scotland visiting her dying grandmother, “Nan”. Volunteering to go out for coffee, she finds herself responding to a cry for help from an alleyway, where she witnesses a young woman being strangled….or is it real since what she sees almost looks like a projected picture?? She soon finds herself becoming a victim and blacks out, only to come to 150 years earlier. Detective Atkinson has become a time traveler….awakening in the body of a housemaid, Catriona Mitchell, in the year 1869….who herself was the victim of the strangulation Mallory saw in the alleyway in 2019. As housemaid to an undertaker, Dr. Duncan Gray, Mallory becomes involved in attempting to solve her own crime as she feels this is the only way she can return to 2019. Threatened by Dr. Gray’s sister to be kicked out of service for past misdeeds, Mallory has no choice but to explain to Isla about her predicament, welcoming Isla as an ally who accepts her truth. This was a very enjoyable book as the characters were likable and interactions were very clever as Mallory attempts to solve crimes with the 2019 knowledge she has without giving that away to Dr. Gray and Detective McCreadie and possibly changing the history of forensic science. Since this was the first in an anticipated series, I am very much looking forward to following Detective Atkinson as she continues in her quest to return to the future, while becoming active in crime-solving of over 100 years before her time. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #ARipThroughTime#NetGalley.

I am a big fan of time shift stories so I was instantly intrigued when I read the synopsis to A Rip Through Time and once I started reading it was impossible to put down. It is the first part of a new series from Kelley Armstrong featuring Mallory a detective from modern day Vancouver who is visiting her dying grandmother in Edinburgh. While out walking she hears a noise an an alley and when she investigates she is attacked. Upon waking she finds that she has been transported back to Victorian times and is inhabiting the body of a housemaid who was strangled in the same place 150 years before.

This is a thoroughly entertaining mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. Mallory has to navigate life as a Victorian housemaid with a dubious reputation and has to explain her sudden change in behaviour and language which can be funny to read at times. She cannot resist getting involved when her boss a fledgling medical examiner and the local police detective investigate some strange murders but though itching to help more she struggles to keep her modern knowledge a secret. Despite having two strong female characters in the story Kelley paints a very interesting picture of the difficulties and frustrations of being a woman in Victorian times when their education is limited and their opinions disregarded.

When a murder occurs that is a copy of a serial killer from the future Mallory realises that the murderer could have back through time with her and she is in danger. She now has to use her twenty-first century detective skills to solve the mystery if she is to have any chance of getting back to her own time and as the book comes to its finale I was on the edge of my seat wondering if the identity of the mysterious murderer would be revealed, but alas no. Sadly I didn't realise that this was only the start of the series and I have been left wanting so much more which is the hallmark of a great story.

A Rip Through Time has a complicated origin story. Desperate to bid farewell to her beloved grandmother, Canadian homicide detective Mallory travels from her home in Vancouver to Edinburgh. Her Nan hovers between life and death but the mundane intrudes. Mallory wants a break from Nan’s bedside so she whips out to a coffee shop. There she has an unpleasant encounter with a man in line. She inadvertently spills coffee on him and his unpleasant reaction chills her to the bone. That evening, she heads out for a jog, running away from her Nan’s side “as if the Reaper dogged my own heels.” Mallory hears a woman cry out—is it in pleasure or pain?

Help.



Then another cry, this one of pain and surprise, and I bolt from my spot before I realize what I’m doing. I swing into the lane to see . . .



Nothing.



It’s more alley than lane, stacked with boxes and bins for trash pickup.

It gets weirder. She sees “a young woman in an old-fashioned dress struck down by an unseen assailant.” Is it something for the tourists, a video projection on a wall? Her detective’s gut instinct tells her to turn around. She recognizes the man from the coffee shop. When he attempts to strangle her with a rope she fights for her life.

The man yanks again, as if growing impatient. I am taking so long to die. I twist, and down the alley, two figures shimmer. A young woman with honey-blond hair, in a cornflower-blue dress, as a shadowy figure has his hands wrapped around her throat.



The figures vanish, and I fight anew, but I’m off balance and can’t do more than flail.



I’m sorry, Nan. I’m sorry I won’t be with you. I know I promised—



The world goes dark.

Mallory wakes up in Catriona Mitchell’s body. It’s 1869. Catriona is a housemaid in the household of Dr. Duncan Gray, an undertaker. At the end of Catriona’s half-day off, she was strangled and left for dead in the same lane where Mallory was attacked. Mallory has switched bodies with someone from a century and a half earlier. She has the maid’s voice, thank goodness. How would she explain a Canadian accent? Catriona is clearly some piece of work—a work shirker and a con artist—given how Mrs. Wallace, the housekeeper, and Alice, her fellow maid, treat her. Mallory isn’t permitted to recuperate for long. The housework is physically demanding and above all, Mallory doesn’t know what the hell has happened to her. Said Sherlock Holmes, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

Something happened in that lane. Two women were strangled a hundred and fifty years apart. On the same night. In the same spot. I don’t think I heard and saw an echo of the attack on Catriona. I think I saw the attack itself—through a rip in time. I heard her cries. I came running. And when I was attacked in the same manner, time tangled, and I fell into her.



Is Catriona in my body, lying in a twenty-first-century hospital bed? If I get back to where we switched places, can I reverse this?



I will get back there. Right now, though, there’s no escaping.

Mallory learns that Dr. Gray moonlights as a medical examiner. At midnight, a corpse is delivered by the police. Is Gray a grave robber, examining dead bodies in the interest of science? She hides in the shadows while Detective McCreadie and Dr. Gray examine the corpse.

“The staging is interesting. My concern is the murder, which is terribly pedestrian. Simple strangulation.” Gray lifts something out with what looks like tweezers. “You’re looking for woven rough cord. Hemp, I believe. Likely rope.”



McCreadie lifts something “Like this?”



Dangling from his hand is a length of old rope. Exactly like the one used to strangle me.

If McCreadie can catch the murderer, will that provide a portal that will lead back to 2019 Vancouver? Kelley Armstrong does a magnificent job of contrasting what Mallory knows about criminal investigations with the reality of how it’s done in mid-Edinburgh although the fact that she’s a female servant complicates her ability to assist Dr. Gray. Her boss is mixed-race, not quite the norm for staid Victorian Edinburgh. Perhaps because of that, he has sympathy for a housemaid who exhibits some odd behavior. The new Catriona is forceful and opinionated, not hesitating to proffer her opinion about the case Dr. Gray is working on. He doesn’t dismiss her out of hand but invites her to chime in.

The most challenging relationship for Mallory/Catriona is with Dr. Gray’s widowed sister Isla. Isla has Catriona’s number and although she sees a difference in Catriona’s attitude, her price for meeting Catriona halfway is the return of a cherished necklace; a necklace Catriona stole from her and sold to a pawnbroker. Do that and they’ll talk. One can only guess at how lonely it must be to be a stranger in a strange land at a strange time. Mallory confides in Isla, setting up some hilarious conversations. Isla is her brother’s equal in courage, intrepid and determined to be part of Catriona’s investigation.

“What kind of ID do you carry?” I ask.



Isla startles from her reading. “ID?”



“Identification. You won’t have a driver’s license, predating cars here. Probably not a passport either. You don’t hop on planes or zip from country to country. Health card? I think we predate free health care, too.”



“You do love doing that.”



“Doing what?”



“Teasing me with words and concepts I do not know. You realize that I am going to ask you to explain each, and then you’ll demand some personal information in return. It is a very clever game.”



“It would be, if I had any intention of explaining myself. Can’t, though. Butterfly effect.”

The butterfly effect involves time travel and the idea that one’s actions in the past could have catastrophic effects in the future. Mallory/Catriona is stuck in the Edinburgh of 1869 but she’s determined to return to 2019 Vancouver. A Rip Through Time has been described as Outlander meets The Alienist. It has a decided Canadian twist, perhaps not surprising because many Scots emigrated to Canada a century ago. Is it because of Mallory’s closeness to her Scottish Nan that she doesn’t feel like a complete fish out of water in Edinburgh? Stay tuned.

A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong is an original and fresh time travel murder mystery. Fast-moving, absorbing, and mesmerizing story that gives the experience of Victorian Scotland through the eyes of homicide detective Mallory Atkinson from the year 2019 transferred to 1869. The writing is so vivid that you can smell the foul street odors, want to wash your shoes along with Mallory and most of all find your way back to the present time. Then there are her emotions, I felt each one with her.

Besides being an excellent murder mystery and time travel story, it also touches on the lack of equality. If this was a contemporary fiction book it might also be called a police protocol novel. However, forensic science is only in its infancy so police work seems to be guess work actually. Mallory is fortunate where she ends up in this story with complex, interesting and enlightened characters. I loved them all except for the villain, of course. I stayed up way too late wanting to find out if the killer is caught and Mallory makes it back to her grandmother’s side in time. I won’t give any spoilers but will say I hope the next book is out soon. This is one series I will follow.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is an enjoyable time travel story in which a current day detective is sent back 150 years. Once she realizes what has happened, she not only needs to get up to speed on who she is and what her life entails, but she also needs to solve who had tried to murder the person whose body she now inhabits. She also hopes to find a way back to 2019. There is an interesting mix of characters and Mallory works to right the wrongs of Catriona. There were some twists, especially toward the end.

Wow!!!
This is a total departure from what I’m used to getting from this author. Totally different and amazing.
Of course it was a fantastic mystery with a crazy twist.

Mallory Atkinson is attacked and wakes up in someone else’s body in the past. She brings 21 century police skills to the 19th century.

He’s stealing from the future. Stealing the thunder of the most famous serial killer of all time.

“To many people in our time, the first serial killer doesn’t strike for another twenty years.

Be clever and memorable. Except no one cares. So he goes another route. Replicate those murders. Out-ripper the Ripper.”

This is gonna be a very intriguing series to say the least!!

This is my first book by Kelley Armstrong and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although it did not end on a cliff hanger I'm sure there will be more to come for Mallory and her life.
I was intrigued from the moment I started reading. Mallory a police detective is out for a run when she hears some one screaming and goes to investigate and ends up being strangled. When she awakens she isn't in her body and she isn't in her time. What comes after that is Mallory trying it adjust to the new timeline and figuring who try to kill her and h0w to return home. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series

Kelley Armstrong is a comfort author for me. I always go into her books with the knowledge that I’m going to enjoy myself. And this time was no different. A Rip Through Time is a historical mystery book with a hint of science fiction. Our main character Mallory is in the process of being strangled when she somehow time travels 150 years into the past. As if that isn’t stressful enough, she is in the body of a 19-year-old housemaid. Now, Mallory has to figure out how to get home and how to act like she is from 1869. Soon after she arrives in the past, Mallory hears about a murder that recently happened. A man was strangled–just like she was. Mallory believes this is a sign. Maybe she needs to help solve this murder to get home.


This book is the perfect blend of historical fiction and thriller with a hint of romance. If you aren’t a fan of historical books, I think you’ll still enjoy this book! It feels contemporary since Mallory is from our time. You’ll see her struggle with the lingo and customs of 1869. I can’t wait for the next book!

I must preface my review by saying I really did enjoy this book. I loved the time travel and the storyline of Mallory / Catriona.

For some reason, I could not fully focus on this book like I have books (especially time travel) in the past. I don't know why I felt like I was constantly having squirrel moments. I would read for a short while and then stop to go off to do something which really didn't need to be done, or was simply a waste of time. This is VERY unusual for me and I don't know if it is because the story dragged in places, or I was just not able to focus.

This being said, once I finished with the book, I look back and think of the characters, timeline, and incidents, and I'm really not sure why I had this response. It was an enjoyable book with an interesting and somewhat unique storyline for a book of this genre.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press /Minotaur Books in order to read and give an honest review.

…Intriguing, well-written and filled with an incredible cast of captivating characters….…

Being a fan of Kelley Armstrong I was thrilled to be given the honour of reading and reviewing the debut of her newest series, A Rip Through Time, and I definitely was not disappointed.

In 2019 Canadian police detective, Mallory Atkinson, is in Scotland to be at the beside of her dying grandmother. While going for a jog she hears a woman’s cries coming from an alley and is shocked to see a faint image of a woman with blond hair in a blue dress. While she runs to assist the woman, she is attacked and strangled to the point of unconsciousness, when she awakens, she finds herself in the body of Catriona Mitchell a housemaid in 1869 Edinburgh.

While recuperating in her employer Mr. Duncan Gray, an undertaker and medical examiner’s home where he resides with his sister Isla and other staff, begins to learn that Catriona is not well liked, has a felonious past and has betrayed everyone she has crossed paths with.

As Mallory tries to navigate her new life as an amnesic Catriona claiming that she has been given a second chance after her brush with death and desperately tries earning the trust from her boss and co-workers. When Dr. Gray loses his assistant, Catriona begins to impress her boss with her understanding of forensics, especially since the real Catriona was illiterate before her attack. When two more people are murdered and there is another attempt on Catriona’s life, the hunt is on to capture the killer before the body count goes up.

Intriguing, well-written and filled with an incredible cast of captivating characters, A Rip Through Time is a page-turning historical mystery with a supernatural touch that I highly recommend. I am looking forward to reading more in this new and exciting series.

Police detective Mallory Atkinson follows a suspicious sound into an alley and as she watches a ghostly strangulation, a rope descends around her own neck. When Mallory awakes, she finds herself in the past, the in the body of the same housemaid she saw strangled. Mallory will need to learn to blend in, figure out what happened to her host's body and hopefully make it home before her grandmother passes away.

This was an interesting concept for a book that was well written if a little repetitive (oh my how progressive this household seems to be). The characters are well designed and distinct. And the historical forensics were also interesting. A good read if you like more realistic time travel stories.

Armstrong is a very successful Canadian author who has written both standalones and various series for both adults and teens. This new release is the beginning of a new series that features homicide detective Mallory who finds herself transported through time and into the body of Catriona, a housemaid in Edinburgh in 1869. Both women were attacked in the same spot 150 years apart. When Mallory awakes after being unconscious for several days she must pretend to be Catriona, as that is who everyone sees. She finds out her boss, who is a funeral director, also works as a medical examiner. As his assistant has quit, she begins helping him as she tries to solve the crime that resulted in her being there and perhaps find a way home. This is a fun read and perfect for fans of "A Murder in Time" or anyone who enjoys both historical fiction and mysteries.

This was a very enjoyable read! I have enjoyed Kelley Armstrong’s books in the past and I am a fan of time travel stories so when I heard about this book, I knew that I had to get my hands on it. I thought that the time travel aspect of this story was well done and I quickly fell for the characters. I thought that this was a very solid start to a promising series.

During a visit to see her dying grandmother in Edinburgh, Mallory is thrown back in time when an attack goes wrong. She wakes up in an unfamiliar time and place and must figure out how to navigate this new reality in a body that is not her own. She has taken on the appearance and life of a housemaid named Catriona but soon becomes invaluable to her employer, Dr. Gray, who is a pioneer in the field of forensics. Before long, they are working together to solve a string of murders.

I really liked the characters in this book. I love the way the relationships between the characters grew and changed over the course of the story. Mallory had to learn how to fit into a world unlike her own and overcome the attitudes of those around her to do Catriona’s history. I liked the way that Dr. Gray and Mallory eventually teamed up with a local detective to try to find a murderer. Since Mallory worked as a detective in modern times, it could be frustrating for her to see the methods being used in police work in the past.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others. I had a fantastic time reading this book and thought that it did a wonderful job of setting up the series. I cannot wait to read about more of Mallory’s adventures in the past.

I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.

🙋Yes! Yes! Yes! I love A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong!

Why? Because it is different and fascinating! Will everyone love it? That depends on personal preference. Armstrong's plot requires you to suspend belief and just roll with the story. If you are able to do that, then you will be entranced by this wonderful mystery.

2019-
Mallory is a detective who sustains life-threatening injuries in a brutal attack. When she wakes up, she has time traveled back to 1869. She is now a housemaid named Catriona. Not only that, but her attacker has traveled with her. She is not sure of his identity until mysterious murders start happening around her. Mallory (Catriona) must not only figure out how to get back to 2019, she also has to find the cold-blooded killer. Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but this book is interesting and fun to read. If you are looking for something unusual give A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong a try. It will be available on May 31st. (5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the honor of reviewing this mind-bending book. A Rip Through Time is a series debut. I can't wait for the sequel! Awesome job Kelley Armstrong! 🏆

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received an eArc of this historical fantasy through NetGalley in exchange for me honest musings . . .

I love Kelley Armstrong.  This be me 18th book by the author.  I really wish I could say that I loved this one but alas it must walk the plank!  No one is more surprised then me that I found this book to be so difficult to read, enjoy, and finish.

The book follows Mallory, a cop, who is transported from 2019 to 1869 and lands in another person's body.  That person happens to be Catriona, a housemaid for a funeral director whose side hobby happens to be the study of forensics.  In a series of truly silly circumstances, Catriona (Mallory), ends up helping her employer try to solve the mystery of a serial killer.

Now often in Kelley Armstrong books, ye have to suspend disbelief and realize there are some over-the-top plot points.  This book just had too much.  Mallory is said to be intelligent but is constantly using modern language and reacting without thought.  The time travel element makes no sense and the ending of the book only confuses things further.  Too much time is spent in Mallory's wishy-washy noggin.  The characters in 1869 accept she is from the future so easily I actually laughed out-loud.  And not in a good way.  The pacing was uneven and sort of boring at times.  Mallory helping with the police investigations was just plain ridiculous for the time period.  Seriously I had trouble with the whole plot.

Good things? Umm I liked the character of Isla and wished I could have been reading a historical fiction about her helping her brother with his cases instead.  In a time period appropriate-ish way of course.

I wish I could say I wanted to read more of this series but I cannot.  Arrrr!